Committee Decisions

30 COM 8B.12

Changes to Names of Properties (Auschwitz Concentration Camp)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-06/30.COM/8B including the request of the Government of the Republic of Poland for amending the name of the site to the "Former Nazi German Concentration and Extermination Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau" in order to promote adequate historical understanding of its creation;

2. Values the continuing endeavors of Poland to ensure the conservation of the site and the preservation of its authenticity in cooperation with the institutions and organizations concerned at the international level;

3. Recognizes the importance of the information and education efforts, directed in particular to the youth, undertaken by many State Parties in order to denounce the atrocities of the Nazi regime;

4. Recalls that the criterion for its inscription on the World Heritage List relates to the events of outstanding universal significance that not only depict an evil period of history but also to serve as a beacon of warning to uphold the human values and ideals that are part of the UNESCO constitution declared out of the ashes of the Second World War in 1945;

5. Strongly encourages educational programmes and media activities to explain the historical context of the property, the role of the Nazi regime in the building of this concentration camp and the planned genocide of the Jewish people together with the lessons and warnings that need to be learned for the world and also requests that these programmes should be made available at World Heritage web-site links and considers, that the modification of the name and the site description should reflect these values;

6. Welcomes the proposal made by the State Party to appraise the possible amendments, through international consultation together with the Secretariat, as evidence of its appropriate outstanding universal value, prior to its examination at the 31st session of the World Heritage Committee in 2007.